


Better Day

by QueenCobra



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-12 16:45:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1192431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenCobra/pseuds/QueenCobra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Two years later</p></blockquote>





	1. Wheels Up

Penelope was the first of her team into the office, so she decided to start getting the conference room ready for when they actually got there.  
"Good morning Ms. Garcia. I take it you are the first here today," Section Chief Erin Strauss asked as she walked into the room.  
"Yes ma'am, I am, " Penelope giggled," I didn't mean to make that rhyme. Are you working with us on this case?"  
"I am actually, we're headed south, correct?"  
Penelope sat down and opened the details on her tablet,"Yes, Tennessee to be exact. A tiny community called Apollo Shores. Looks like the team is coming, I suggest sitting here, best seat in the house." She motioned for Erin to sit next to her. The chief smiled and sat in the chair. The team moved in slowly. "I guess the coffee hasn't kicked in yet," whispered Penelope.  
"Where are we going now?"  
"Tennessee. Morgan, can't you wait until everyone is seated to start asking questions?"  
"Oh just get on with it!"  
"Apollo Shores. Four people have been killed in this peaceful community in the past two weeks. Abby Foster, age 27, is our first victim. Noel Cline, our second victim, age 32. Then Marco McGee, age 15. Kyree Reynolds at age 41 is our latest victim. All have gun shot wounds to the leg and then stab wounds to the chest. Found along the back roads of the community. I will be going with you on this case because of reasons, and so will chief Strauss."  
Hotch stood,"Wheels up in fifteen. See you all on the jet." They all left the room to get their go bags.


	2. Long Day

"Since they don't have a hotel or anything, two of the residents are letting us stay at their house, they will be staying with their friends. It's small, so we have to double up, there are two air mattress, and two real beds. So there is no temptation, I paired the gentlemen together, and the ladies. Emily, you are with JJ. Rossi, you are with Hotch. Derek, you will be with Reid. So that leaves Strauss with me, unless you want the couch, or want me to take the couch," Penelope explained as they got off of the jet. Erin whispered something into Penelope's ear and then Penelope added,"We call first pick of the beds." Everyone sighed.  
The team made it to their destination in just over an hour. Garcia took the key from under the third sea shell and let the them into the small house. The house had a nice, screened in porch with a porch swing, and a great view of the lake. "Erin, which room do we want? There is the master bedroom, with its own bathroom. Or maybe the room filled with dead deer and fish hanging on the walls," Penelope asked as she set her stuff down and looked at Erin. They both laughed and put their things in the master bedroom. After they put everything away, they met the officer in charge at the community park. From there, they made their way to the crime scene, Penelope stayed back with Strauss.  
"One of the locals said that the best place to eat is down the street at the front porch restaurant. When we are done for the day, do you want to go with me? It's also the only place, unless one of the locals ask us over for dinner," Penelope asked Derek during a phone call.  
"Maybe, baby girl. I gotta go, I think we have something. Wait. We got him! Hahaha, that was quick. Reid cuffed him, we will be back at the house in about two hours. Bye"  
Penelope smiled, she had two hours to waist. "Maybe I'll go for a short walk," she said to herself.  
"Maybe you'll what," asked Strauss as she entered the dinning room where Garcia was set up.   
"Oh, I was just talking to myself , I thought I might go for a short walk. Would you like to go? I would appreciate the company."  
"Well, ms. Garcia, I have nothing to do at the moment. The team caught the unsub, so why not. I would love to. Just let me change."  
Penelope nodded and smiled. She decided to change as well, she didn't want to go on a walk in the woods wearing a dress and heels. When she came back, Strauss was waiting for her in the living room.  
"Alright, I called the lady down the street and asked her to join since we don't know this place too well. She will be here in about-" Erin's words were cut off.  
"0.0 minutes. I'm here and ready to show you around. Ready to head out ladies?"  
"Yes ma'am. I'm Penelope, and you talked to Erin on the phone. Thanks for this, it's nice to get away from the computer screen every once in a while."  
"Nice to meet you, I'm Patricia. But y'all can just call me Pat. Now let's get this show on the road," Pat said with a big smile. Both women smiled at her and followed her out the door. They walked down the gravel road to the somewhat paved road. "No one ever really comes through here, not even the residents. It's about lunch time, so we can take the long way to the front porch. Would you like that? Mike makes the best BLT around."  
"That sounds good. I was planning on dinner there tonight with my boyfriend. I-I mean my best friend, we aren't dating or anything. We are just really good friends. My job wouldn't allow me to date him. I don't LOVE him, well I do, but not like that. More of a best BEST friend sort of love, you know? And I'm babbling, I'll shut up now,"Penelope said and then looked to the ground as she walked. Pat laughed and then saw the sad look on the young woman's face. Frowning as well, she laid a hand on Penelope's shoulder.  
"There is no use in trying to hide love, my dear. It will find you, trust me I know. Who is going to stop you from dating him? I'm sure your friend here won't tell your boss. Now tell me more about this 'best friend'." Penelope's eyes widened.  
"Well, he is VERY very handsome. He is tall, smart, and funny. He calls me 'baby girl'. But my boss just heard about the whole thing, so it's probably not going to happen if I want to keep my job. I guess I do love him. Oh who am I kidding? I DO LOVE HIM! I just wish it were possible," Penelope said, trying to hide the tears falling on her cheeks. She knew she was emotional, especially since it was that time of month, but geez this was a bit much. She just admitted that she loved Derek Morgan, in front of her boss.  
"Penelope, if you talk to the director about it, and if you tell agent Morgan how you feel, he might let this relationship slide. I've already seen the way you look at him. I know you love each other. I say go for it, young lady," Erin smiled at Penelope.   
Penelope looked at Erin with tears in her eyes, "Thank you, Erin. I will. How much further do we have until me get to the restaurant, Pat?  
"See that hill? We just have to get to the top of that and then turn left, young miss. Shhh, listen for a second." They hushed and listened closely. They heard some sort of engine, and that made Erin uncomfortable, so she reached for her gun. Pat waved at the oncoming golf cart, and Erin relaxed a bit. As the golf cart got closer, it slowed down.  
"Well, well, well. Would ya looky there. How are you this afternoon miss pat? Who are your new friends here, and why wasn't I invited? We missed you at the ladies meeting."  
"Bev, this is Penelope and Erin, from the FBI. Ladies, this is bev. I'm sorry, I didn't think to invite you. Eula asked me to make sure everything was alright with the agents at her house, that's why I missed the meeting. I'm hosting next month's meeting though, so that should make up for it. We were just headed to the front porch. Would you like to join?"  
Bev nodded," sure, sounds good. Hop onto old faithful here, and I can drive you the rest of the way." Erin sat on the back with Penelope, while Pat sat next to bev. It was a bumpy ride, so that made Penelope feel sick. "How are you holding up Penelope? You don't look so good," Erin noted as she held the younger woman's hand. Penelope shook her head and held her free hand to her mouth. Her stomach was tossing and turning, so she leaned over the side of the cart and threw up.  
"Oh gosh, Sweetie, are you all right back there," asked Pat as they pulled into the parking lot.  
"I don't know. My stomach is hurting really bad, and I just threw up," Penelope asked as she wiped her mouth with the tissue Bev provided.  
"What did you eat this morning? Did you eat last night?"  
"I don't remember eating anything last night, and I didn't eat this morning because I was busy running searches for my team."  
Erin looked at Penelope, "Come on, let's get you something to eat."  
They started to make their way to the door," I feel a bit diz-"   
Penelope fainted. Pat knelt by her and tried to wake her up. Bev went inside and got a someone to carry Penelope inside for them. Once they were inside, they laid her down on the booth. Erin lifted Penelope's head and laid it on her lap. "She should wake up soon. I do wish this hadn't happened. I've never been the nicest person to anyone at work, but there is just something about this young lady that brings out the good side of me. She does that to everyone I've heard. They call it the Garcia effect," Erin stated after the waitress had taken their order. Moments later, Penelope woke up. "Welcome back to the living, Penelope, sit up, you need to eat," Erin stated. The young agent smiled and sat up. She rubbed her head.  
"So, what did you guys order for me?"  
"I ordered you a BLT and an ice tea. How are you feeling now,"Erin asked.  
"Not too well, but after I eat I should feel better. My head is throbbing, though. Do any of you have your cell phone with you? I need to call Derek and let him know where we are, in case they get home early?"  
Strauss took her phone out of her pocket,"here, use mine,"  
Penelope took the phone from her boss's hand and dialed Derek's number.  
"Strauss, where are you, where is Penelope? What is going on? Are you ok? Oh my god! Is Penelope ok? Is she hurt?" Derek was almost yelling.  
"Aw, sweetie, it's me. Yes we are ok. We went out to lunch with some new friends. Yes, the front porch. Oh, can you bring some Advil? Thanks! See you soon." The ladies smiled at Penelope as she handed the phone back to Erin. "What?"  
"He was worried about you. I can't wait to meet him," Pat smiled.


	3. New Found Friend

"Lunch was awesome ladies, thank you. I enjoyed meeting you, hope to see you again," Derek said as he stood and took Penelope's hand. They walked ahead of them as they walked out. "Penelope and Derek sittin' in a tree k-I-s-s-I-n-g. They need to date. I can see them getting married and having babies together," bev commented. The rest of them nodded in agreement   
"I'm going to talk her into asking him out tonight. We have to share a bed. I hope it works out," Erin said.  
"Sounds good. I hope everything goes well. Give me a call whenever you're around. I'd love to meet up with y'all again," Pat hugged Erin," goodbye, Erin."  
"Goodbye, Pat, I will call you."


	4. Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two years later

"Hey Penelope, are you ready to head out? We can't miss our plane. Derek is waiting for us in the car," Erin asked as she walked into Penelope Garcia's tech cave.  
"One moment, just have to shut these down. I'm glad we have bonded with each other since that weekend on that case. You have sort of become my mom. You are the only mom figure I have." Penelope began to tear-up, and she turned to look at Erin.  
"Oh, honey, don't cry. You are like a daughter to me. My real children are all moved out and don't need mom anymore, so you kinda filled that void. Come on, let's get going. Pat is expecting us in about three hours, we can't be late." Penelope nodded and grabbed her purse, following Erin down to Derek's car.  
"Hey, baby girl, Erin. We need to get to the airport ASAP, we have ten minutes to get to an airport that is fifteen minutes away," Derek stated. Penelope hopped into the passenger seat, and Erin took the back. On the drive, Erin watched Penelope and Derek, and smiled when Derek reached for Penelope's hand. They were a very cute couple, and she knew the reason why Derek wanted to go see Pat in Apollo Shores. He was going to ask Penelope to marry him. She knew this because he asked for her blessing, and she helped pick the ring.

When they arrived at Pat's house, she ran out to greet them. "Hey guys! Why did you have to wait two years? I thought I would see you over the summer! I missed you, give me a hug," Pat said as she walked over towards them. Penelope gave her a huge hug, and then Erin and Derek joined in. They made their way into the house, which was a bit bigger than the one from two years ago. "Erin, your room is down that hall. It's the second door on the left. Penelope and Derek, I assume you will want to be in the same room, so I set you up together in the room next to Erin."  
"Thanks, Pat. Before we do anything, I need everyone to sit down in the living room. I need to talk to Erin first. I'll be back in a few minutes, baby girl," Derek said as he motioned for Erin to join him outside. Erin nodded and stepped outside with him.  
"Are you going to do it now?"  
"Erin, I don't know. What if she says no. Oh god."  
"I know for a fact that she loves you. Two years together, and you think she is going to say no? I say, go in there and ask her to marry you." Erin gave Derek an encouraging smile.  
He nodded and headed back inside. Pat and Penelope were talking.  
"Penelope, I have a question for you," Derek said as he knelt in front of her.  
"What is it hot stuff?"  
" Penelope, I love you with all my heart, and have since the day we met. Baby girl, Penelope darling, I want you to be mine for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?" He pulled out a black box. Penelope kept nodding, but she couldn't speak.  
"I want to hear you say it, baby."  
"Oh yes, Derek! Yes! Oh my gosh, I love you so so so much," Penelope cried and she threw her arms around him, kissing him like no one else was in the room. Derek slipped the ring on her finger. Pat clapped and cheered, along with Erin.  
"Congratulations you guys! See, I knew this would happen. Now you two just need to have some babies. You're like my own kids, so I'm gonna say this: gift me with beautiful grand babies. I'm so happy for you," Pat cheered.  
"I'm very happy for you guys. I'm with Pat, give us both grand babies! Now, Derek, I have already accepted Penelope as my daughter, so be prepared to become my son-in-law. Oh Penny, come here," Erin said as she held out her arms for a hug. Penelope hugged her tight and began to cry happy tears. Hugs and kisses went around the room.


	5. Wedding Day

"I can't believe I'm going to get married. Mom, thank you for agreeing to walk me down the isle."  
"You are so very welcome, Penny. I love you. I want this day to be perfect for you and Derek," Erin said as she pulled Penelope into a tight hug.  
"I love you too, mom."  
They made their way to the church. When they arrived, Penelope stood behind the doors, waiting for them to open. The music began to play, and Erin walked Penelope down the isle to her husband-to-be. She smiled at Penelope's team as they passed them. The ceremony was beautiful.  
"Congrats Penelope, Derek! Mrs. Morgan has a nice ring to it. Now, when are the grand babies coming," asked Pat.  
"We will be working on that tonight," Derek smiled.  
" You two bring us some grandchildren! I love you both, very much. Enjoy this while you can. Now go have some fun," Erin said.  
The newly weds said goodbye to their guests, and made their way to the hotel. "I feel like I'm in a dream," Penelope said as she sat down next to Derek.  
"I do too, and if it is, I don't want to wake up."


	6. Mom

"Honey, I think I'm pregnant."  
Derek turned to face his wife. They had been trying to have kids since their wedding day.  
"Are you sure?"  
"I'm pretty sure. I took the home pregnancy test, we'll need to go to the doctor to be sure."  
Derek hugged Penelope close, tears streaming down his face. He was so happy, it had been almost two years.  
"Are we going to tell mom?"  
"I think it would be better to wait until we get back from the doctor. Derek?"  
"Yeah, baby girl?"  
"What if I can't carry to term, or it was a false test?"  
"Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best."   
"Alright. I have an appointment for five thirty. We have three hours until we find out if we are going to be parents."  
"What are we going to do for three hours then?"  
Penelope thought for a moment,"do you want to go see a movie?"  
"Not really, want to visit with mom for a while? I have to fix her sink anyway."  
"I'd like that. I'll call her and let her know we are coming over."  
She grabbed her phone and dialed Erin's number. It rang twice before Erin answered.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey, mom! We are coming over to fix the sink, and I'm going to hang out with you. I have a doctor's appointment later."  
"Alright Sweetie, I'll see you in a few. Love you."  
"Love you too, bye." She smiled. Penelope grabbed her purse,"Ready, Derek?"  
"Ready, I'll drive, the roads are horrible, and it's beginning to snow again."  
They left the house and made the fifteen minute drive to Erin's house. Derek was right, the roads were horrible, there was about a foot of snow already on the ground. They arrived and Erin opened the door for them.  
"Hurry in, it's freezing cold!" They entered the house quickly. Erin's dog greeted them with kisses and barks.  
"What kind of appointment do you have today?"  
"We'll tell you when we get back. I don't really know, they just wanted us to come in. Derek brought his tools to fix your sink."  
"Oh, good. Come sit with me, we can skype with Pat for a while, she's missing everyone. Here, text her first."  
Penelope used Erin's phone and texted Pat. Pat answered right away, and they logged onto the computer. When Pat's face popped up, Penelope and Erin waved at her.  
"Hey, Pat! I miss you. You should come up and visit soon."  
"Hey, sweetie! I miss you too. And Erin! I was planning on coming up to see y'all this weekend. How are you and Derek doing? Any luck?"  
Penelope sighed,"We don't know yet. We are trying, we want kids so bad. He is doing okay, we were thinking about getting a dog soon. Can't wait to see you this weekend."  
"I can't wait either! Erin, how are the roads up there?"  
Erin smiled,"Horrible. And down there?"  
"Same, it's even worse on gravel roads. I went to visit my friend the other day, and I couldn't even get onto her road. The main roads are okay."  
"Good. Are you staying safe?"  
"Yes, I am. Can I talk to Penelope alone for a moment, please?"  
Erin looked at Penelope and then back to the screen,"Ok, I'll go see how Derek's doing."  
Penelope and Pat watched Erin leave the room.  
"What's going on? Was the test positive?"  
"Yeah, but we have to check with the doctor first. We have an appointment in two hours. I'm so nervous, Derek started crying when I told him."  
"Honey, everything will turn out fine. Remember, I'll always be here for you, no matter what happens. Erin will too. She tells me that when you or Derek call her mom, it makes her day. Her kids don't even talk to her anymore. She loves you both more than you will ever know."  
"I think we know. After the appointment, if I am pregnant, I'm going to wait for you to be here before we tell anyone. You and mom are going to be the first people we tell."  
"Thank you. I'll be up Friday afternoon. Only two days away, I'm going to get off of here. Tell your mom I'll talk to her later. I love you, Penny, and good luck."  
"I love you too, Pat, and thank you." She signed off and went to the kitchen to find Derek and Erin. She found Derek alone in the kitchen, and gave him a kiss before looking for Erin. She looked upstairs and found Erin in her bedroom.  
"Hey."  
"Hey. Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, mom, I'm okay. I love you, you know that, right?"  
"Of course I know. I love you too."  
"Pat will be here Friday."  
"She told me earlier. Are you sure you're alright?" Penelope sat down on the bed and Erin sat next to her.  
"I don't know, I hope so. I really want everything to be ok." Erin hugged Penelope close. She knew what she meant. Penelope wanted kids, but they were having trouble conceiving.   
"I love you so much. And I love Derek. I'm proud of you for being so brave."  
"I love you too, mom. I love your hugs, mom hugs are always the best. You cheer me up everyday, just like Derek does."  
"Let's go downstairs." They stood and walked down stairs to the living room. Erin's dog, Minnie, was sitting by the fireplace. The German Shepard went over to Penelope and sat on her feet.  
"Hi Minnie. Are you a good girl?" The dog barked and wagged her tail. Penelope smiled at the large dog and pat her head.  
"What kind of dog are you thinking about getting," Erin asked.  
"We want to get a Newfoundland, Derek's friend has a few pups, and he's giving them to good homes. We might get one tomorrow."  
"Male or female?"  
"Probably a female, they are the most loving."  
"True, they most definitely are. You have about thirty minutes before your appointment."  
"Oh. I guess we should go then, I'll be right back in." Penelope went to get Derek.  
"I got it all fixed! Works just fine now. I guess we'll see you later, mom." Derek gave Erin a hug.  
"Thanks, Derek. Bye."  
"Thanks for talking to me, mom. I love you."  
"Love you too, Penny. Let me know you're okay when you get home from the appointment."  
"Will do. Bye." They waved as they got into the car and pulled out of the driveway. It was still snowing, but not as hard as earlier. The roads were slick, and they slid once or twice. They made it to the doctor's office just in time.  
"Are you ready," the doctor asked. Derek looked at Penelope.  
"Let's hope so," Penelope said, squeezing Derek's hand. The doctor drew flood from her arm.  
"I'll let you know tomorrow. The tests will be in then. I will call in the morning. Good luck."  
"Thank you." They were excited, and couldn't wait until morning.


	7. Big News

The phone rang and Penelope jumped out of bed and ran over to it. Derek stood beside her.  
"Hello?"  
"Mrs. Morgan?"  
"Yes." Penelope held onto Derek's hand.  
"Well, like I said I would do, I'm calling this morning to inform you and your husband that in about nine months, you will have a baby boy or girl. Congratulations to both of you!"  
"Thanks, bye."  
Penelope dropped the phone and began to cry. Derek held her close,"What's the news?"  
"We did it, Derek. We are going to be parents!" Derek smiled and kissed his wife over and over again. They were overjoyed. They hugged and smiled for at least an hour.   
"Oh my god, Derek. It's finally happening."  
"I know baby girl. You are going to be the best mom in the world!"  
"No, I will be the second best mom in the world. I have the best mom. If it weren't for her, I would have never had the courage to ask you to go out with me, and we wouldn't even be together. You will be the best dad though."  
"Two very true statements. When are we going to tell her?"  
"Pat's coming up tomorrow, I think we should wait and tell them at the same time."  
"Good idea." He kissed her again.  
"I'm going to text her and see if she can make it up here today instead. It's going to be hard to keep this a secret, especially from mom."  
Penelope picked up the phone and sat back on the bed. She texted pat and said,"Can you come up today?"  
Two minutes later, Pat responded,"I'm already here. I got here last night, spent the night at the hotel. I left as soon as we got done skypeing."  
"Okay, meet us at mom's?"  
"I'll be there in twenty minutes." Penelope put her phone in her purse.  
"Derek, Pat's going to be at mom's house in twenty minutes, get ready," Penelope said. She went over to her closet and picked out a white top and a red skirt.   
They were ready in ten minutes, and got into the car. Penelope and Derek arrived a few minutes after Pat.  
"Hey!" Pat hugged them both.  
"Hello, we missed you!"   
"I've missed you too. You said you had some news about your appointment?"  
Penelope looked at Derek and then nodded. "Let's sit down first." They made their way into the living room and sat on the couch.   
"We have good news and bad news." Derek held Penelope's hand.  
"The bad new is, we won't be getting our dog until next month," Penelope continued.  
"What's the good news," Erin asked.  
"Well, we went to the doctor yesterday, and-"  
"And what?"  
"Mom, Pat, I'm pregnant!" Penelope smiled. Erin's jaw dropped, and Pat jumped up.  
"Oh my God!" Pat hugged Penelope and then Derek.  
"This is wonderful, baby! Im so happy for you and Derek! Congrats!" Erin hugged Penelope close and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She hugged Derek and he gave her a kiss on the cheek.  
"I am so excited to have a baby. I'm going to be a mom!"  
"Do you want me to call Bev, she should probably know too?" Pat reached for the phone, but Penelope stopped her.  
"It would be best to wait until later. I might not be able to carry to term, remember?"  
"I remember you telling me that. God, I hope all turns out well. We are here for you both, through good times and bad, remember that," Erin said, laying her hand on both Derek and Penelope's shoulders. Derek smiled at her.  
"We know, and we thank you for that." They all sat down and began to talk about the details. Penelope leaned back, snuggling into her husband. She knew her family would be there for her through thick and thin, and she was grateful for that.


End file.
